Preview: Gangwon FC vs Daegu FC

After a disappointing Wednesday night for matchday four of ACL Group Stage, Daegu FC make the long trip to Chuncheon to square off against Gangwon FC. Can the Sky Blues continue to maintain their lopsided winning records against Gangwon, or can Saturday's hosts pull off upset? Daegu FC Correspondent Muyeol Jung with the preview.

Last Time Out

AFC Champions League: Daegu FC 1-2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
On Wednesday night, Daegu FC hosted Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the hunt for revenge after the Sky Blues were defeated by in Japan two weeks ago. The hosts pushed for a win from the beginning, while the visitors sat deep with an emphasis on counterattacking.

In spite of their hard work, it was the visitors who took the lead after Hayato Araki headed the ball into the net from a corner. Afterwards, Daegu made two early changes before the second half with Jung Seungwon and Kang Yunku in for error prone Ryu Jaemoon, and injured Hwang Soonmin.

Daegu were getting close to getting themselves back in the game but their efforts were either denied by the Violets' goalkeeper Oskao, or were far from the goal. During the last ten minutes, Daegu sent the ball up in the air into the box to win headers using Edgar and towering centre back Jeong Taewook, but they couldn’t find an equaliser.

K League: Jeju United 2-4 Gangwon FC
It’s a very surprising result that 10-man down Gangwon FC beat Jeju United away from home. The visitors had a very unfortunate start to the game, losing veteran wingback Oh Beomseok just five minutes into the first half after he picked up an injury before they were reduced to 10-men as defensive midfielder Lee Jaekwon was sent off for his bad tackle after VAR decision was made.

However, luckily, Gangwon took the lead through the substitute Kang Jihoon; the wingback put the ball into the empty net at 24 minutes. Then 10 minutes after, Jeju found an equaliser through Magno Cruz only for former Jeju player Kim Hyunwook to restore Gangwon's lead, striking left-footed into the top corner from 30 metres just before the break.

In the second half, the visitors doubled their advantage through Kim Jihyun who cut in and fired a mid-range shot before Magno’s netted his and Jeju's second to half the deficit. However, the hosts were unable to do anything after they conceded the fourth of the afternoon through Gangwon's Lee Hyunsik who scored from inside the box after he feinted defenders away near the edge of the penalty box.

Previous Meetings

Both citizen clubs have met each other 34 times previously with the Sky Blues being slightly ahead of Gangwon with 15 wins, ten wins for Gangwon. However, in the latest ten games, Daegu have had the upper hand against Gangwon with six wins and one draw. Particularly, Daegu FC have never been defeated by Gangwon for five straight games in a row since the summer of 2017.

Team News

It appears that Daegu FC’s morale plunged down despite of a hard fought game against Sanfrecce Hiroshima after the comfortable 3-0 win over Pohang last weekend. Two consecutive defeats to the same opponent without any goal scored will have left deep scars mentally and physically. During the previous game, left wingback Hwang Soonmin and playmaker Cesinha had to come off the pitch with suspected injuries. Reportedly, the Brazilian has a hamstring injury and he is likely to miss the trip to Gangwon, especially considering that he hasn’t been rested out at all this season.

Coming into the Gangwon game there is no suspension among the squad but a few more faces will likely miss out. Dario seems to have a lot of difficulties in earning gaming time and is currently training with reserve team. In addition, Daegu’s rookie Ko Jaehyun, a usual substitute, is unavailable as he has been with Korea U20 National Team. Usual right wingback Kim Junyeop, who has missed latest two games, remains an uncertainty. Meanwhile, towering centre forward Edgar is highly likely to start following a departure of Kim Jinhyuk for military duty.

The Adversary

The majority of Gangwon players should be available for selection coming into the Daegu game except for two; Oh Beomseok, who forced to leave the pitch due injury, and Lee Jaekwon who was shown a direct red card in the previous game. Gangwon Manager Kim Byungsoo usually sets out his side in a 4-3-3 formation with goal poacher Uroš Đerić upfront backed up by pace either side of him. Thus far, Đerić is yet to find the net in the league having ended his goalscoring duck in the FA Cup at home to FC Seoul.

Who To Watch

Daegu FC – Edgar

Former Brazil U20 National Team forward Edgar Bruno has now returned from a calf injury. During his absence, there were concerns about Daegu’s attacking ability but his replacement, Kim Jinhyuk, did a brilliant job with four goals in the league until he left for military service. However, from now on, the Brazilian will have more expectancy placed on him to find goals from the Sky Blues. Currently, the centre forward has two goals from three games in the league.

Prediction

It has been Daegu who are the favourites to win when the two teams met recently. Considering the form and team strengths, Daegu should get the result on the road.

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